Daz gets his skates on for a tilt at world speed record

SKATEBOARDING is one thing but skateboarding at 500kmh is quite another but that is exactly what former TV stuntman, Australian Daz Fellows, is planning.

His aim is a shot at the world luge speed record, held by a Briton at 187kmh.

He started designing and building his jet luge skateboard last year after selling most of his belongings and moving back into his parents' Sydney home. He and his team have built a 3m fibreglass body for the board and two jet thrusters, each rocket having a maximum 91kg of thrust.

Fellows, who has worked on the low-lying board for 18 months, has spent $90,000.

The rockets are controlled by a thumb accelerator and the vehicle has lean steer turning.

He believed he could hit 500kmh during the runs next year. He did not say where the attempts would be.

"It's going to be a long road to get to that speed but, with the team that I have on board - two turbine engineers, a fluid dynamics engineer and a race engineer ... we've got probably one of the best chances of achieving the goal," he said.